Movie Review-Barbershop The Next Cut

 

It’s been more that ten years since our last visit to the barbershop and a lot has changed in that time. In Barbershop The Next Cut the once male sanctuary is now a co-ed shop. Regina King plays Angie, the female partner who now has her staff of ladies working in Calvin’s barbershop. Even Calvin has some newcomers on his team including Common and Lamorne Morris, however; Cedric the Entertainer as Eddie is still a mainstay at the shop and the main source of humor with his political incorrectness.

Again, in Barbershop 3, Calvin is considering selling the barbershop because of the violence in his South Side Chicago neighborhood. However this time things really hit close to home when his teenage son starts getting into trouble at school and begins to run with the neighborhood gang.

While the new Barbershop movie has plenty of laughs this new edition has a bit more heart and social consciousness. Perhaps it’s the addition of Malcolm D. Lee, who directed The Best Man movies, that gives the movie a little more heartfelt drama. Whatever the reason, I really enjoyed the movie.

 

The new character additions of J.B. Smoove, a hustler who rents out a space in Calvin’s shop, and Nicki Minaj as a full-time hairstylist and a part-time gold digger, really freshen up the place and breathe new life into the franchise. And of course, Ice Cube as Calvin, is the anchor of the movie.

I enjoyed Barbershop The Next Cut. I think you will too. Also be sure not to leave early. There’s a hilarious bonus scene at the end of the movie. The movie has a run time of 112 minutes and is rated PG-13. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate it a LARGE.

 

Hollywood Hernandez

 

Movie Review-Miles Ahead

For his directorial debut Don Cheadle chose a complicated and difficult subject when he chose to tackle a biopic about jazz legend Miles Davis. However, using the same theory that Miles used, being innovative and unconventional, Cheadle succeeds as a first time director. Miles Ahead, in which Cheadle also stars and co-wrote the script, is like one of Miles’ songs; he stays off the beaten to create a film which is innovative and free form (like Be Bop).

In the movie, rather than telling Miles’ story with a beginning, end and middle, Cheadle instead focuses on one particular incident in Miles’ life. The incident depicted is “inspired by true events.) The main story shows his interaction with a Rolling Stone writer, played by Ewan McGregor, and the hilarious story of him fighting with his record label over the ownership of his latest recordings. Cheadle then fills in the blanks using flashbacks of the trumpet player at different points in his life. We see his bouts with domestic violence, drug use and all of the dark places in Miles’ life, but we also learn about the beautiful dancer who was his muse and the love of his life. I appreciated the balance between his genius and his madness.

Although Miles Ahead is not just for jazz lovers; the music is amazing. All of the new “Miles Inspired music” is written by Robert Glasper. Glasper’s soundtrack is already an Oscar contender. BTW: Glasper revealed to me in an interview in 2015 that he was first approached by Cheadle about writing the soundtrack via Twitter.    

Cheadle transforms himself as Miles Davis. It’s his best performance in a movie since Hotel Rwanda and his performance is also Oscar worthy. It’s obvious that Miles Ahead was a labor of love for Cheadle and that he really wanted to get it right; and for the most part he succeeds. 

The movie has run time of 1 hour and 40 minutes and it’s rated “R” for domestic violence and harsh language. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” Mile Ahead rates a JUMBO. It’s rolling out in limited release (it starts in Dallas on Friday 4/15) but do yourself a favor and look for it in your local theater.

Hollywood Hernandez